Many situations exist where food dishes or other articles can fall, spill or otherwise be upset because they are not securely held. For example, a young child having a meal in a restaurant may upset or spill the contents of a plate or other food container or may knock a dish off of the table. The problems of securely retaining dishes are not restricted only to small children. Adults with motor control deficiencies may also have trouble using unsecured dishes. In addition, eating in a moving environment such as in a vehicle, watercraft, aircraft or other moving environments using conventional unsecured dishes without holders may lead to spills or breakage. In restaurant and similar settings, preventing spillage from a plate or a bowl is a challenge for many parents and caregivers, who often resort to holding a child's plate by hand to keep it from being tipped, spilled, or knocked off. Alternatively, dishes and bowls are not used at all and food for children is placed directly on the table or on a paper placemat provided by the restaurant.
Having a child eat directly from a table surface has a number of negative consequences. The table surface may be unsanitary and may contain germs or chemical residues that may contaminate the child's food. Further, cleaning up the table after a child has eaten directly from the surface may be difficult and messy. There are also many occasions where eating directly from the table surface would be impolite or impractical such as when the table is covered with a tablecloth. Using utensils to scoop food directly from a table surface is difficult so the child often uses fingers instead of utensils, making cleanup more difficult and delaying the process of learning to use utensils properly. Eating from a paper placemat or other placemat that is not designed to contain food may be unsuitable for foods that contain liquid or are runny.
Prior arts have attempted to solve these problems but so far they all fall short. A summary of the prior art is included at the end of this section. One alternative to eating directly from the table or from a restaurant placemat is to use a placemat that is designed to contain food and attach to a table. Some existing placemats do not have a method of attaching to the table, therefore resulting in the placemat and the food contents being thrown to the floor. Other existing placemats for children have suction cups which secure the placemat to an airtight smooth table top. However, such placemats fail to secure the placemat to table tops that are not sufficiently smooth and airtight to permit a sufficient vacuum to be created by the suction cups. Further, the suction cups on the placemat do not create a sufficiently strong hold and most children will learn quickly how to remove the placemat from the table. Placemats have the disadvantage of not being suitable for use with utensils as described above. Further, after a child has eaten on a placemat, it must be folded or rolled up and carried home to be washed. Existing placemats are bulky to carry and food residue may soil clothing or bags in which the placemat is carried. Existing placemats are made of non-durable materials that are stained easily and that are so soft they can even be bit through by a young, teething child, which is an obvious choking hazard. Because of the lack of durability, the existing placemats must be replaced often.
Some existing non-spill dishes for children have suction cups attached directly to the bottom of the dish. The suction cups may be pressed against a smooth table surface such that the resulting suction is intended to retain the dish in place. Suction cup dishes have numerous disadvantages. Suction cup dishes often have easily accessible suction release tab so that a parent may remove the cup. Many children learn to pull the release tab or otherwise release the suction and then are able to upset the dish. Suction cup dishes have the further disadvantage that the suction function does not work correctly unless a smooth upper surface is available on the table top. For example, the suction cup cannot attach to outdoor tables that have a grating table-top or to some tile-top or other textured tables. Likewise, the suction cups fail to adhere to tablecloths or similarly porous surfaces. Suction cup dishes will not work with many picnic tables or other tables with slots, tiles, holes, rough surfaces or uneven surfaces. Also, suction cup dishes, like placemats, have to be cleaned immediately after eating or carried home for cleaning each time they are used, which is both messy and inconvenient.
Some existing plate holders for children require that Velcro or other attaching material be applied to the dish before it will adhere to the plate holder. This can be problematic for a number of reasons. First, if the material is applied to a restaurant dish, there is a risk of damaging the dish. Further, if the parent takes this approach, it requires a new piece of material for each new dining experience, which can be costly and inconvenient. The parent may also choose to use their own dish with the Velcro already attached, so that they don't have to use a new piece of material each time. However, this means that the parent must immediately clean the dish after use or carry the dish home for cleaning each time. As mentioned before, this is a messy alternative and very inconvenient. Parents have too much on their minds these days to have to remember to keep a clean dish with adhesive material attached ready in the diaper bag for each time they dine out. Overall, people who use devices that require additional materials each use usually find that they cannot get the use out of it that they originally desired because they are constantly running out of essential materials or have to replace the item so frequently that it is not worth the money.
The present invention is unique for several reasons. With the present invention, nearly any restaurant dish can be used so there is no dish to clean or carry home. Since no part of the present invention actually touches any food, it will require only minimal cleaning, such as wiping off with a disposable baby wipe from the diaper bag. As mentioned before, nearly all of the prior art requires cleaning of dishes or other materials with dish soap and hot water each and every time the art is used. The user has to choose to either carry around dish soap in order to wash the device in the public restroom following the meal, or to carry the device home dirty and hopefully remembering to wash it before the next time it is needed. This is inconvenient, messy and unsanitary. Also, the present invention avoids the cost and inconvenience of having to use additional materials. The present invention functions alone, and since it is designed to be produced inexpensively and to last for potentially thousands of uses, it is the easiest, the most economical and the most practical solution. Further, while prior art has attempted to use suction as a means of keeping a dish on the table, none have approached the use of suction in the same way as the present invention. The present invention is different because the suction device is not a physical integration of the dish itself in an effort to hold the entire dish structure to the table, but instead the suction is used as a means of attaching restaurant dishes to the table. The actual holding of the present invention to the table does not require the use of suction, and therefore it fits to almost any table, without the need for the surface to be smooth and non-porous. The only real requirement with the present invention is that the restaurant or dining facility has a dish with a relatively solid portion on the bottom. It is likely that this type of dish can be found in almost every restaurant. The dish can be made of nearly any material—even a coated paper plate will do. The present invention is the only approach to the problem of keeping a young child or handicapped person's dish on the table that allows the user the convenience and ease of using a restaurant dish, that does not require additional materials, that does not create the potential of damaging restaurant property, that does not require frequent cleaning and that has the level of hold necessary to ensure the child will not be able to remove the dish.
Examples of prior art that attempt to address the issue of keeping the plate on the table but that are not as advantageous as the present invention include the following:                1) Secure dish holder. U.S. Pat. No. 7,303,172: Comprises a device that secures to the table and utilizes Velcro as a means of attaching a dish to the device. This device requires that either the user apply of a new piece of Velcro to the bottom of each restaurant dish before the dish can be attached to the device or the use of a dish from home with Velcro previously attached. If the user elects to carry around the dish with Velcro previously attached that is included with the device, the user must thoroughly clean the dish after each use. If the user desires to use the restaurant plate, the user must carry around extra Velcro strips at all times. If the user unexpectedly runs out of Velcro or forgets to replenish his supply, he will not be able to attach a restaurant dish when needed. Further, if the user desires to use the device frequently with restaurant dishes, the required replacement of the Velcro can become costly over time. Also, the user risks damaging restaurant property when removing the Velcro from the dish. Further, the strength of the Velcro attachment is not as strong as that of the suction device on the present invention.        2) Standard Disposable Placemat: A person desiring to feed their child at a restaurant may attempt to use a standard paper or plastic placemat. This method requires that the user attach the placemat with tape or by other means in order to prevent the child from pulling the placemat off the table. Even if the placemat is attached to the table, the child will likely be able to rip or tear the inexpensive material from which it is composed. Also, the material will likely not hold up to the moisture or heat of most foods. Further, this solution requires a new placemat every time and can therefore be costly over time.        3) Placemat member, U.S. Pat. No. 6,746,735 or Child's serving mat, U.S. Pat. No. 5,053,262: Comprises a serving placemat with multiple small suction cups on the bottom. These devices require a thorough cleaning after each use. These devices are difficult to clean in a small public sink because of its size and structure, and the material stains easily and absorbs odor so it has to be replaced often. Further, when made of rubber the mat can be easily bitten through by a young teething child and can therefore become a choking hazard. Further, the small suction cups on this device do not provide the level of suction necessary to keep it on the table, so a young child will be easily able to remove it from the table. Further, the suction cups on the device require that the surface of the structure to which it is being attached is smooth and non-porous, which is not the case for many tables.        4) Child's plate, U.S. Pat. No. 6,637,614: Comprises a plate that is physically designed to be difficult for a young child to grip and with friction enhancements on the bottom of the plate to prevent slippage. This plate does not attach to the table but relies only on decreased friction and the child's inability to grip the side, which can easily be overcome by a stubborn and determined child. Like other prior art, this plate must be cleaned thoroughly after each use. This device is not as durable as the present invention and therefore requires frequent replacement, which can be costly.        5) Pet bowl with suction cup. U.S. Pat. No. 6,581,541: Comprises a dish with a large suction cup on the bottom. While originally designed for pets, this design has also been used for bowls for young children. This type of dish must be cleaned thoroughly after each use and requires that the surface to which it is attached is smooth and non-porous. Further, this type of device is not as durable as the present invention and therefore requires frequent replacement, which can be costly.        